[Saba Sports News] The Miami Heat have decided to rest their star forward, Jimmy Butler, just three games into the regular season. Surprisingly, their decision aligns with the NBA’s new rules on player rest.
On the surface, resting a player so early in the regular season might appear to contradict the league’s efforts to prevent such practices. However, the Heat took the initiative to confirm their compliance with the NBA’s rules, as reported by Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
In this particular instance, the Heat are well within their rights to rest Butler on a Saturday night. They are facing back-to-back road games, and the previous night’s game was nationally televised, making it a different scenario. Notably, Butler played the entire duration of that game.
The NBA has been actively working to minimize load management during the season, but there will still be situations where veteran stars sit out without facing penalties from the league. This appears to be one such case.